Tokyo motor show highlights - Nissan Pivo 3

Nissan has a tradition of pushing the boat out with its Pivo concepts, but its latest generation of EV show car actually looks achievable.

The Pivo 3 is a three-seater (a central driving seat up front, with two passengers behind) designed for urban use. It has a motor mounted in each of its four wheels, and can steer each wheel too, giving it a turning circle of just four metres.

The car’s most ambitious feature is Automated Valet Parking; drive it to your location, tell it to find a space and it will drive off and park by itself. It can then be summoned back to your location via a smartphone app.

There was a time when concepts like the Pivo 3 were pure fantasy. However, with Nissan pushing hard on the EV front - and releasing distinctive shapes such as the Leaf - it’s not inconceivable that it could launch a Pivo-related EV city car before the middle of this decade.